The present disclosure relates generally to weapons systems and, more particularly, to a link chute ejection adapter for conveying spent links of an ammunition belt from the receiver chamber of a machine gun to a link chute.
Conventional automatic weapons, such as machine guns, are often configured to utilize ammunition belts including a plurality of rounds successively coupled together through the use of links. More particularly, the rounds typically include a casing for a bullet, wherein successive casings are coupled together utilizing metal links. The ammunition belt is illustratively fed through the receiver chamber of the machine gun utilizing a feed slider assembly. Once the bullet has been discharged from the casing during operation of the gun, the casing is typically ejected downwardly from the receiver chamber. The spent links are typically ejected laterally outwardly from the receiver chamber and into a link chute. While link chute ejection adapters have been utilized in the past to facilitate conveyance of spent links to the link chute, jamming of the links within prior art link chute ejection adapters has been a recurring problem.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a link chute ejection adapter for a weapon discharging rounds from an ammunition belt includes a base, and a cover positioned above the base. A first side wall is coupled to the base and the cover, and includes a proximal end configured to be removably received within a receiver chamber of the weapon. A second side wall is positioned in spaced relation to the first side wall and is coupled to the base and the cover. The base includes a tongue supported at the proximal end for mating with the floor of the receiver chamber of the weapon, and a mounting boss extending downwardly from the tongue. A link chute coupler is supported at the distal end of the base. An ejection chamber is defined by the base, the cover, the first side wall, and the second side wall. The ejection chamber extends in an axial direction generally along a longitudinal axis from a proximal end to a distal end, the proximal end being coupled to the receiver chamber of the weapon and the distal end being coupled to an ejection chute. A casing stop is supported by the proximal end of the first side wall for locating a casing of the ammunition belt. A bullet stop is supported by the proximal end of the second side wall for locating a bullet of the ammunition belt. The bullet stop includes a finger extending axially outwardly away from the ejection chamber and transversely outwardly away from an outer surface of the second side wall.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of ejecting spent links from a weapon system includes the steps of aligning a link ejection chute adapter to a receiver of a weapon such that a tongue at the proximal end of the link chute ejection adapter is substantially flush with a receiving floor of the receiver, and coupling the link chute ejection adapter to the receiver. The method further includes the steps of coupling a link chute to a distal end of the link ejection chute adapter, and drawing an ammunition belt into a receiver chamber of the weapon, the ammunition belt including rounds of ammunition connected by links, each of the rounds including a bullet and a casing. The method also includes the steps of locating a casing of the ammunition when the round is drawn into the receiver chamber of the weapon by a casing stop member supported at a proximal end of a first side wall of the link ejection chute adapter, and locating a bullet of the ammunition when the round is drawn into the receiver chamber of the weapon by a bullet stop member supported at the proximal end of a second side wall of the link ejection chute adapter. The method further includes the steps of expelling the bullet from the casing, wherein the bullet is expelled from the casing by activation of a firing mechanism of the weapon, ejecting the casing from the receiver chamber, wherein the casing is ejected downwardly from the weapon following the expelling of the bullet from the casing, ejecting the link from the receiver chamber, wherein the link is ejected laterally from the receiver chamber, and guiding the link into the link ejection chute adapter.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of various features and components according to the present disclosure, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure. The exemplification set out herein illustrates embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.